Ucarmagazine

The latest addition to the Renault Sport family is Megane R26.R, a car that has been engineered for performance and extreme driving enjoyment.

Megane R26.R is based on Megane F1 Team R26 and uses the same engine, gearbox and limited slip differential, but has been lightened by 123kg and features specific suspension calibration.

On June 23, 2008, Megane R26.R established a new lap record for its category round the legendary Nürburgring in Germany with a time of 8m 17s which confirms its extreme performance calling. It is easily recognizable thanks to its carbon bonnet, while its sporty credentials are immediately apparent inside, too, with its Sabelt bucket seats and harness belts.

Megane R26.R is a limited edition model manufactured at the Alpine Renault factory in Dieppe, France. Total production has been restricted to just 450 cars. Following its unveiling at the London Show, Megane R26.R is due to go on sale in October 2008. To build on the success enjoyed by Megane F1 Team R26 since its launch in November 2006, Renault has decided to market an even more potent version, the Megane R26.R. The Renault Sport Technologies-developed car is the latest addition to the Renault Sport range which already features Clio Renault Sport, Clio F1 team R27, Megane Renault Sport, Megane Renault Sport dCi, Megane F1 Team R26 and the soon to be released Twingo Renault Sport. Since its launch in April 2004, more than 20,000 Megane Renault Sports have been sold in almost 30 countries across the world.

The latest version of this model is poised to assert Renault Sport Technologies’ status as a manufacturer of segment-topping high performance cars.

Megane R26.R was developed with the intention of:

- offering customers who regularly attend circuit days with a model boasting an unmatched price/performance ratio,
- creating an end of life ‘collectors’ version of Megane Renault Sport,
- contributing to Renault’s brand image.

Radical looks

Renault Sport Technologies has bestowed Megane R26.R with several features that give it unique looks and distinguish it at first glance from other Megane Renault Sport models. The varnished carbon bonnet and specific red 18-inch wheels underpin the new car’s exclusivity, while the exterior styling sports a new spoiler and graphics. The quarterlights and rear screen are made from extra-tinted polycarbonate. Megane R26.R can be ordered in a choice of seven body colours, including three new shades, namely Lune Grey, Nacre White and Dynamo Blue.

Inside, Megane R26.R’s cabin carries over the sports calling of its exterior styling, including the use of leather and suede for the steeringwheel and gearlever bellows.

Megane R26.R is also equipped with Sabelt bucket seats and harness belts, and is the first touring car to have aviation-style six-point harness belts as the sole homologated restraint system. The absence of rear seats serves as a further pointer to the car’s radically sporty character which is further emphasized by the numbered plaque fixed to the centre console. A specific numbering system will be employed for each of the countries in which Megane R26.R is marketed:

- N°s 1 through to 230 for Great Britain,
- N°s 1 through to 126 for France,
- N°s 1 through to 26 for Switzerland,
- N°s 1 through to 26 for Spain,
- N°s 1 through to 26 for Germany.

Intended just as much to be driven round a closed circuit as it is to be enjoyed on the open road, Megane R26.R can be ordered with an optional four-point roll-cage.

Weight saving: a leitmotiv

To guarantee such high performance, Megane R26.R was put through a weight-saving programme that saw it shed 123kg compared with the F1 Team R26 version.

To achieve this result, the car goes without a certain number of comfort-related features, including:

- the rear seats and seatbelts,
- airbags (except driver airbag),
- automatic climate control (available as an option / manual climate control standard),
- rear wiper and wash,
- foglamps,
- headlamp washers,
- the majority of soundproofing material.

Other components that have been modified with a view to reducing weight and optimizing driving ergonomics are:

- the carbon bonnet (a saving of 7.5kg),
- polycarbonate quarterlights and rear screen (a saving of 5.7kg),
- carbon seat shells and aluminium frame (a saving of 25kg),
- six-point harness belts,
- titanium exhaust line (available as an accessory),
- specific lightweight body equipped with roll-cage mounting brackets.

Uncompromising chassis

As far as the running gear is concerned, the front and rear suspension have evolved to deliver optimal handling and traction efficiency.

The front layout features the now familiar independent steering axis system, although all the front suspension components are specific:

- spring ratings have been uprated from 13.4mm to 14mm/100kg,
- damper calibration is specific as a function of the specific specification of the chassis,
- the brake discs are grooved and not cross-drilled,
- optional TOYO PROXES R888 tyres (225/40 R18), or standard Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres (235/40 R18).
- one of the bushes between the lower arm and front subframe has been stiffened.

Regarding the rear suspension, the spring rates have increased from 15.1mm to 16.2mm/100kg, while the damping once again features specific calibration.

For best level traction performance, Megane R26.R is equipped with a limited slip differential which has the same transfer rate as that of the F1 Team R26 version (33 per cent).

Driving of a powerful vehicle equipped with a limited slip differential tends to call for certain driving skills because of the torque steer that can occur in certain situations. The combination of a limited slip differential and independent steering axis front suspension minimizes this phenomenon and allows the driver to profit fully from the extra traction and for a more reassuring drive. The car’s directional precision under cornering is also improved and allows drivers to re-accelerate both earlier and harder.

Any car boasting such a high level of performance requires a braking system that combines bite with fade-free durability, and Megane R26.R’s substantially dimensioned brakes employ four-piston Brembo callipers and 312mm vented front discs. Unlike the Cup chassis version, this limited edition model is equipped with grooved discs to ensure even better durability when the car is pushed.

As much punch as ever

Megane R26.R is powered by the same 2.0 Turbo engine as Megane F1 Team R26 which is mated to a manual six-speed gearbox (ND0*020) with a shorter linkage for even quicker gearshifts.

This engine boasts peak power of 230hp (169kW) and torque of 310Nm. Indeed, one of this powerplant’s key features is the availability of the latter across an extremely broad rev range, with 90 per cent of maximum torque being available between 2,000 and 6,000rpm.

Megane R26.R accelerates from standstill to 100kph in 6.0 seconds and covers the standing start kilometre in a mere 25.9s. Its homologated combined cycle fuel consumption is 8.5 litres/100km, equivalent to 199g of CO2/km.

On June 23, 2008, Megane R26.R established a new lap record for a front-wheel drive car round the Nürburgring, Germany, with a time of 8m 17s. To recall the new car’s exceptional performance, a map of the Nordschleife circuit and the time achieved by the Megane R26.R are screen-printed on the quarterlights.

The haven of Renault’s sports models

Megane R26.R is manufactured in the Alpine-Renault factory in Dieppe, France, which specializes in the production of Renault Sport models. It is produced on the principal production line, while finishing work and fitment of the shorter gear linkage are carried out in the competition workshop alongside Megane Trophy and Clio Cup.

Following its unveiling at the London Show, Megane R26.R is due to go on sale in October 2008. Only 450 examples of this limited edition model will be produced.

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The legendary Ford RS performance car brand is returning in the shape of the exciting new Ford Focus RS, which will be previewed on July 22 at the 2008 London International Motor Show.

The new Focus RS will go on sale in early 2009 and is being created by a small team of dedicated engineers, under the direction of Jost Capito, Ford of Europe’s Vehicle Line Director for Performance Vehicles.

For performance road car enthusiasts, the new model will mark a welcome return for the Ford RS badge. This will be the second Focus model to carry the RS mantle and promises another exciting chapter in an exciting 40-year story that began in Germany in the late 1960s and gained momentum across Europe with the launch of the 1970 Escort RS1600.

Capito said: “We want the new Focus RS to be a serious high performance car – as much a car for driving enthusiasts as the one before it and classic Ford RS models of the past. We’re staying true to the core RS principles of an exciting, yet affordable performance road car you can live with every day.”

Authentic RS presence and style

Before it even turns a wheel, the new Focus RS exudes the presence, sporty style and lowered, ‘meaner’ appearance expected of a genuine Ford RS. Overt performance styling details mix with subtle revisions to create a planted, powerful stance and the promise of an exciting drive.

The London show car previews the design intent for a final production vehicle, though as development work continues, some final details may change before volume production begins.

The vehicle is finished in a special bright green paint with inlaid metallic flake, a striking, modern interpretation of the 1970s Le Mans Green of the Escort RS1600 era.

The vibrant exterior colour is contrasted with a number of performance styling details highlighted in gloss ‘piano black’, including the strip at the leading edge of the bonnet, the deep housings for the integrated front fog lamps and door mirrors with integrated side indicators.

Front and rear quarter panels have been revised to incorporate wider wheel arches and a wider track, complemented by revised, deeper side rocker mouldings. In another visual reminder of the car’s performance potential, triangular, RS-badged vents sit behind the front wheel arches. Two classic-style bonnet louvres are both a styling hint at the power beneath and a practical requirement, maintaining correct system temperatures.

The completely new front bumper design for Focus RS incorporates a deep front airdam with a large, mesh lower grille in an extended trapezoid. Stylish and practical, this prominent feature represents the latest Ford ‘kinetic design’ face and also is finished in piano black. Above, chromed xenon headlamps stand out like cat’s eyes and are framed by matt-black housings with unique additional vents running underneath.

At the rear, a deep new rear bumper incorporates a large venturi tunnel to its lower edge with small vents at each corner of the bumper, emphasizing the car’s width. Two impressive chromed exhaust tailpipes sit each side of the black venturi, creating a purposeful rear view for the car.

Above, a unique, twin-element, black RS rear spoiler sits at the Focus RS’ roofline, echoing both RS models of the past and the World Rally-winning Focus WRC that has been its inspiration.

“We believe it’s vitally important that a Focus RS looks like both a Focus and an RS – it needs to be individual, distinctive and overt in its performance styling, but it also needs to show a clear progression from and relationship to Focus ST”, said Stefan Lamm, Chief Exterior Designer, Ford of Europe.

High performance interior

Inside, this theme continues with a unique and appropriately performance-oriented interior, dominated by bespoke, sculpted Recaro high-performance sports seats, specially designed and trimmed for excellent support, even when driving enthusiastically. Each is colour-matched to the exterior, with ebony leather accents and ‘RS’ and ‘Recaro’ logos stitched into each backrest.

Elsewhere, colour brings new excitement to the Focus interior, building on the sporty interior theme of Focus ST with more use of accents matched to the exterior colour, brushed aluminium highlights and overt performance styling. Even the rear seats feature higher side bolsters and a microfibre finish to echo those up front.

The centre console is finished in a stylish gloss, carbon-look trim and metallic highlights abound, from air vents, door grab handles, switchgear and gearshift surround, to unique RS-branded scuff plates on the door sills. These highlights contrast with a black-trimmed roof lining, emphasising the sporty, cockpit feel.

The driver is reminded this is a special Focus at every touch, with a gear lever finished with a six speed gear shift graphic in RS blue, a sporty, three-spoke steering wheel, finished with ‘Ford’ and ‘RS’ logos and even aluminium foot pedals. The performance driving environment is completed by three additional gauges from the Focus ST, including turbo pressure, sitting atop the centre console and angled toward the driver’s eyeline.

Powerful RS heart

At the heart of the all-new Focus RS is a specially developed, turbocharged version of the Duratec 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine. Significantly revised for high performance, this powerplant is targeting an impressive power output of 300PS and over 410Nm of torque, contributing to an excellent power-to-weight ratio.

Such significant increases are not simply the result of altering engine management or boost pressure: starting with the Duratec 2.5-litre block, Ford RS engineers developed unique camshafts, a revised cylinder head and gasket and revised intake and exhaust manifold system for the car.

Although the car is still in development, prior to its launch in early 2009, early performance testing indicates a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of under six seconds.

A traction ‘Revo’-lution

Throughout Focus RS’ development, Capito and his team have been keeping a sharp focus on creating a car that delivers excellent performance and traction.

Various innovations, developed as a result of customer feedback from previous performance Fords, have allowed engineers to keep the new Focus RS as front-wheel drive, with a limited-slip differential, while still achieving demanding targets for traction, handling and steering.

The new Ford Focus RS is equipped with an innovative front suspension system known as a ‘RevoKnuckle’, which is designed to reduce unwanted steering disturbance and torque steer, the impact of torque on steering in front-wheel driven vehicles. Torque steer occurs during hard acceleration, cornering or driving on uneven surfaces, when torque on the driven wheels exceeds grips levels. It is characterised by sudden turning force on the steering wheel and can be exacerbated by vehicles with wide tyres and limited-slip differentials.

In Focus RS, the RevoKnuckle works in conjunction with a Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential. Ford Team RS engineers have worked closely with Ford’s Advanced Research Centre in Aachen, Germany to develop the RevoKnuckle technology specifically for the high performance Focus RS. It allows the simplicity of a traditional McPherson strut arrangement, but with geometry settings that minimize steering disturbances and torque steer, principally a reduction in steering offset.

“The Ford Focus is an excellent base for a high performance car – agile, responsive and stable,” explained Capito. “We studied at length how best to enhance these qualities for a high performance model. Our work has shown clearly that our approach in combining a tuned RevoKnuckle with the Quaife differential is an ideal solution for a high performance front-wheel-drive road car like Focus RS.

“As you would expect, we gave all-wheel-drive careful consideration, but by combining and tuning these elements and learning from Ford’s expertise in industry-leading handling, we have managed to eliminate the weight of AWD from the car and still have been able to target a class-leading balance of traction, handling and performance.

“The result is a lightweight set-up, that will deliver the right blend of traction and razor sharp controllability – in a way no one would have expected from front-wheel-drive, and we believe we have made the right choice,” Capito concluded.

Dynamic, agile and responsive

A genuine Focus RS must maintain and enhance the reputation for responsive, precise handling for which Focus is acclaimed and considerable engineering effort has ensured that the new Focus RS will do just that.

Driving quality developments for Focus RS include a 40mm wider track, stronger, longer driveshafts, revised springs and dampers and a thicker, longer rear anti-roll bar. At the same time, the steering system has been retuned to provide an even sharper steering response and very precise feedback.

Brakes also have been uprated, with 336mm ventilated front discs and 300mm rear discs generating vice-like stopping power on road or track. Large calipers peek out from behind unique 19-inch wheels, wrapped in 235/35 low profile Continental tyres.

A special version of Ford’s ESP system has also been developed for Focus RS, designed to allow a very sporty driving style before activating. Intensive work to refine the natural handling abilities of the car has allowed the ESP system to carry a full de-activation option for enthusiast drivers and especially for track use.

“We are refining all the handling characteristics of Focus RS without ESP, to hone its natural responses, rather than use ESP to help its handling. In Focus RS, ESP is a pure safety device”, explained Capito.

Reliable and durable

In creating the new Focus RS, Ford’s Team RS engineers have had to meet the same stringent targets for durability and reliability as those set for the rest of the Focus range.

Despite its many bespoke engineering and styling elements, Focus RS will be built entirely on the main Focus production line in Saarlouis, Germany and offered with a standard Ford of Europe warranty.

A great heritage

The new Focus RS represents a significant moment in the heritage of both the Focus and Ford RS brands.

It is 10 years since the Ford Focus was first revealed to the world at the Geneva Motor Show in 1998, paving the way for a range of Ford vehicles whose exciting design was matched by class-leading driving quality. Since this time, more than 5.3 million Ford Focus models have been built in Europe, including Russia, with the car also built and sold in North America and Asia.

At the same time, the new Focus RS marks the return of the famous but rare Ford RS badge, last seen on the first-generation Focus RS in 2002 and with a distinguished heritage stretching back 38 years including Fiesta, Escort and Sierra models.

“RS is uniquely important to us in terms of our performance heritage and World Rally Championship success, while the Focus has played a major part in establishing Ford’s excellent reputation for driving dynamics,” said John Fleming, Ford of Europe President and CEO. “The all-new Focus RS will embrace and celebrate both of these – it will be a genuine RS and a genuine Focus and I’m confident it won’t disappoint in either area”.

2008 Ford Focus RS Official Released
2008 Ford Focus ST On Sale At UK
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This summer is set to be a scorcher, whatever the weather, with the arrival of the newest Renaultsport hot hatch to join the renowned line-up – Twingo Renaultsport 133.

Renault has a rich heritage in high-performance hot hatches, and Twingo Renaultsport 133 is no exception. With top performance and an impressive level of standard equipment, the Twingo Renaultsport 133 ensures it is a worthy entry-point addition to the Renault hot hatch range.

Priced at just £11,550, Twingo Renaultsport 133 offers on-the-road thrills at an affordable price. Unlike some of its competitors, Twingo Renaultsport 133 is easily distinguishable from the standard car with extended wheel arches and sills as standard.

The Twingo comes with specific Renaultsport chassis and steering tuning as standard ensuring it offers optimum performance and handling. There is no wait necessary for the ‘Cup’ chassis either as Renault Sport Technologies has developed this for Twingo from launch, along with a new 1.6 naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre VVT engine delivering 133hp at 6,750rpm with 160Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm.

Sporty looks, style and performance as standard

There’s no doubting the Twingo Renaultsport 133’s vigorous performance, tenacious road-holding and refinement, whilst its exterior and interior styling makes it obvious that this is a car in which to have fun.

Twingo Renaultsport 133’s long list of standard equipment, in addition to those on Twingo GT, includes:
ESP (which can be manually deactivated), Renaultsport chassis with 16” alloy wheels and 195/45 tires, Renaultsport front and rear bumpers and side sills, extended front and rear wheel arches, gunmetal gray door mirror housings, fog lamp surrounds and rear spoiler, aluminum pedals, Renaultsport leather steering wheel, Renaultsport rev counter with gearshift indicator light, Renaultsport front seats with enhanced lateral support and distinctive orange seatbelts.

Twingo Renaultsport 133 is available with a choice of five colors: Capsicum Red or £375 optional metallic Pearl Black, Extreme Blue, Mercury Silver or Mirage Grey. The latter is a new color exclusive to the Renaultsport version.

‘Cup’ chassis available from launch

An option available on Twingo Renaultsport 133 is the ‘Cup’ chassis. Priced at £650, it features a 4mm lower ride height, stiffer springs and dampers, 17” dark gray Anthracite alloy wheels and 195/40 tires.

All retail customers to place order within first 133 days of ordering opening receive free Renaultsport track day with tuition

Renault recognizes that its Renaultsport customers make up some of its most devoted and loyal fan base. Renaultsport organizes regular track days in the UK and abroad through www.renaultsport.co.uk, the website for Renault hot hatch fans to get the latest information and share discussions in the community forums.

As a special acknowledgement, Renault is offering an exclusive chance for customers to find out what the Twingo Renaultsport can do really do in a safe, controlled track environment.

All retail customers who place an order for a Twingo Renaultsport 133 within the first 133 days of ordering opening will receive a voucher for a free place on a Renaultsport track day in 2009, which includes free tuition, at either Brands Hatch (Kent), Oulton Park (Cheshire), Cadwell Park (Lincolnshire) or Bedford Autodrome (Bedfordshire).

Insurance groups, performance data and further technical details will be released nearer to the time of the UK launch in September.

Available to order end of July

The Twingo Renaultsport 133 with new 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated engine, is available to order now at just £11,550.

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